Environment Configuration by a Device Bases on Auto-Discovery of Local Resources and Generating Preference Information for those Resources

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for environment configuration by a device based on auto-discovery of local devices and generating preference information for those resources are disclosed and may include discovering available devices utilizing a wireless mobile communication device (WMCD). Wireless communication may be established with one or more of the available devices utilizing the WMCD, which may then configure the resources according to a user&#39;s preferences or a plurality of user preferences. The user preferences may be stored internal or external to the WMCD, and may be modified based on subsequent changes to the configuring of the resources. The WMCD may communicate with the resources utilizing one or more of a plurality of wireless protocols, which may include cellular, WLAN, near-field communication, Bluetooth, and radio frequency identification. The WMCD may auto-discover as well as determine and authenticate access privileges for the resources, which may include devices for adjusting a user&#39;s local environment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application makes reference to and claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/950,991, filed on Jul. 20, 2007,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[Not Applicable]

MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

[Not Applicable]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to wireless communication.More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to amethod and system for environment configuration by a device based onauto-discovery of local resources and generating preference informationfor those resources.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The field of wireless communication has seen dramatic growth the lastfew years. In today's world, most people use their wireless devices, beit cellular phones, PDA's, laptops, and/or other devices, for variouspurposes, business and personal, on a constant and daily basis. Societyis truly becoming a wireless one. Many wireless solutions have beenintroduced, and have made tremendous strides into everyday life.

For example, the use of Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN) has beengaining popularity in a great number of applications because of theflexibility and convenience in connectivity they provide. WPAN systemsgenerally replace cumbersome cabling and/or wiring used to connectperipheral devices and/or mobile terminals by providing short distancewireless links that allow connectivity within very narrow spatial limits(typically, a 10-meter range). WPAN may be based on standardizedtechnologies, for example Class 2 Bluetooth (BT) technology. While WPANmay be very beneficial for certain applications, other applications mayrequire larger service areas and/or capabilities.

To satisfy such needs, other technologies have been developed to providegreater wireless service. Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) systemsmay operate within a 100-meter range, for example. In contrast to theWPAN systems, WLAN provide connectivity to devices that are locatedwithin a slightly larger geographical area, such as the area covered bya building or a campus, for example. WLAN systems are generally based onspecific standards, for example IEEE 802.11 standard specifications, andtypically operate within a 100-meter range, and are generally utilizedto supplement the communication capacity provided by traditional wiredLocal Area Networks (LANs) installed in the same geographic area as theWLAN system.

Other forms of wireless solutions have evolved from traditionalland-based communication technologies. For instance, cellular phoneshave become just about an absolute necessity in today's world. Whilecellular technology was merely intended to add an element of mobility tothe traditional telephony service, this technology has grown beyond thatinitial purpose. Many modern cellular technologies, including suchtechnologies as GSM/GPRS, UMTS, and CDMA2000 may incorporate substantialdata capabilities. Most of today's cellular services may include suchfeatures as text messaging, video streaming, web browsing . . . etc.

Some mobile devices have the capability to utilize one or more wirelesstechnologies. For instance, WLAN systems may be operated in conjunctionwith WPAN systems to provide users with an enhanced overallfunctionality. For example, Bluetooth technology may be utilized toconnect a laptop computer or a handheld wireless terminal to aperipheral device, such as a keyboard, mouse, headphone, and/or printer,while the laptop computer or the handheld wireless terminal may also beconnected to a campus-wide WLAN network through an access point (AP)located within the building. Also, cellular technology may allow use ofthe mobile phone as a form of wireless modem that allows connecting alaptop, for example, to the internet via a cellular network.

Just as with other electronic devices, wireless communication deviceshave seen substantial growth in performance capability and speed. Assuch, they are finding applications in areas not predicted when firstintroduced to give users mobile telephony. They may comprise minicomputers, multimedia players, GPS devices and many other applications,for example.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth inthe remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method for environment configuration by a device basedon auto-discovery of local resources and generating preferenceinformation for those resources, substantially as shown in and/ordescribed in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forthmore completely in the claims.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention,as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be morefully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary WLAN infrastructure networkcomprising basic service sets (BSSs) integrated using a commondistribution system (DS), in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of exemplary resource utilization via awireless mobile communication device, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of exemplary resource utilization via awireless mobile communication device, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary multi-userenvironment with configurable resources, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an exemplary environment configurationprocess, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain aspects of the invention may be found in a method and system forenvironment configuration by a device based on auto-discovery of localresources and generating preference information for those resourceseither directly or translated. The preference information may bedirectly generated, or translated. Exemplary aspects of the inventionmay comprise discovering available networked resources utilizing awireless mobile communication device (WMCD). Wireless communication maybe established with one or more of the available networked resourcesutilizing the WMCD, which may then configure the resources according touser preferences. The user preferences may be stored internal orexternal to the WMCD, and may be modified based on subsequent changes tothe configuring of the resources. The WMCD may communicate with theresources utilizing one or more of a plurality of wireless protocols,which may comprise cellular, WLAN, near-field communication, Bluetooth,and/or radio frequency identification. The WMCD may auto-discover aswell as determine and authenticate access privileges for the resources,which may comprise devices for adjusting a user's local environment.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary WLAN infrastructure networkcomprising basic service sets (BSSs) integrated using a commondistribution system (DS), in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 1, the exemplary WLAN infrastructurenetwork 100 shown may comprise a wireless mobile communication device(WMCD) 103, a first BSS 102 a, a second BSS 102 b, a DS 104, a wirednetwork 106, a portal 108, a first access point (AP) 112 a, a second AP102 b, a home network 121, the Internet 119 and a plurality of WLANstations 110 a and 110 b.

The WMCD 103 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code that maybe enabled to provide wireless communication between a user andnetworked resources. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, theWMCD 103 may comprise a cellular phone that may be capable ofcommunicating utilizing multiple wireless protocols such as cellular,WLAN, WiMax, Bluetooth, RFID and NFC, for example.

The BSSs 102 a and 102 b may represent a fundamental building block ofthe IEEE 802.11 (WLAN) architecture and may be defined as a group ofstations that are under the direct control of a single coordinationfunction. The geographical area covered by a BSS is known as the basicservice area (BSA). The DS 104 may be utilized to integrate the BSSs 102a and 102 b and may comprise suitable hardware, logic, circuitry, and/orcode that may be adapted to operate as a backbone network that isresponsible for Medium Access Control (MAC) level transport in the WLANinfrastructure network 100. The DS 104, as specified by the IEEE 802.11standard, may be implementation independent. For example, the DS 104 maybe implemented utilizing IEEE 802.3 Ethernet Local Area Network (LAN),IEEE 802.4 token bus LAN, IEEE 802.5 token ring LAN, Fiber DistributedData Interface (FDDI) Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), or another IEEE802.11 wireless medium. The DS 104 may be implemented utilizing the samephysical medium as either the first BSS 102 a or the second BSS 102 b.However, the DS 104 may be logically different from the BSSs and may beutilized only to transfer packets between the BSSs and/or to transferpackets between the BSSs and the wired network 106.

The wired network 106 may comprise suitable hardware, logic, circuitry,and/or code that may be adapted to provide wired networking operations.The wired network 106 may be accessed from the WLAN infrastructurenetwork 100 via the portal 108. The portal 108 may comprise suitablehardware, logic, circuitry, and/or code and may be adapted to integratethe WLAN infrastructure network 100 with non-IEEE 802.11 networks.Moreover, the portal 108 may also be adapted to perform the functionaloperations of a bridge, such as range extension and/or translationbetween different frame formats, in order to integrate the WLANinfrastructure network 100 with IEEE 802.11-based networks.

The APs 112 a and 112 b may comprise suitable hardware, logic,circuitry, and/or code that may be adapted to support range extension ofthe WLAN infrastructure network 100 by providing the integration pointsnecessary for network connectivity between the BSSs. The WLAN stations110 a and 110 b correspond to WLAN-enabled terminals that comprisesuitable hardware, logic, circuitry, and/or code that may be adapted toprovide connectivity to the WLAN infrastructure network 100 via the APs.The WLAN station 110 a shown is a laptop computer and may correspond toa mobile station or terminal within the BSS and the WLAN station 110 bshown is a desktop computer and may correspond to a fixed or stationaryterminal within the BSS. Each BSS may comprise a plurality of mobile orfixed stations and may not be limited to the exemplary implementationshown in FIG. 1A.

The home network 121 may comprise a WMCD user's home network, and maycomprise storage devices, such as the storage device 123. Data such asuser preferences and/or multimedia content that a user may wish toaccess from remote networks may be stored on the storage device 123 inthe home network 121. User preferences may comprise access privileges tonetworked resources, environmental conditions and entertainmentpreferences, for example.

In operation, a wireless mobile communication device (WMCD) user maywish to utilize resources within a BSS. Preferences for a resource maybe established for a WMCD user and may be stored locally on the WMCD 103or on the home network 121, or other remote device or service. The WMCD103 may communicate with a home network via the AP 112 a in the BSS 102a to obtain user preferences for one or more resources that may beutilized in instances when preferences may not be stored on the WMCD103. The WMCD 103 may verify that a user may have access privileges to aparticular resource and may establish access based on stored accessprivilege date, for example. The WMCD 103 may be capable ofcommunicating with a local network via a plurality of wirelessprotocols.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary resource utilization via awireless mobile communication device, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention. Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a car 201, acellular tower 117, the Internet 119 and a home network 121. The car 201may comprise a global positioning system/navigation system GPS/NAV 205,an audio system 207, a temperature control system 209, a humidity sensor211, a temperature sensor 213 and a seat control 215. The WMCD 103 maybe carried by a user within the car 201. The home network 121 maycomprise a storage device 123, which may be enabled to store data to beused by other devices that may communicate with the home network 121.

The GPS/NAV 205 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or code thatmay enable detection of global positioning signals that may be utilizedfor determining location and/or directions to a desired location via anavigation screen within the car 201.

The audio system 207 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or codethat may enable reception of AM, FM and/or satellite radio signals,playback of stored audio data, such as CD and/or MP3 data, for example.The audio system 207 may comprise wireless protocol capability forcommunicating with wireless devices such as the WMCD 103, for example.

The temperature control system 209 may comprise suitable circuitry,logic and/or code that may enable control of the temperature within thecar 201. The temperature control system 209 may receive input signalsfrom the humidity and temperature sensors 211 and 213, respectively. Thetemperature control system 209 may also comprise wireless protocolcapability for communicating with wireless devices such as the WMCD 103,for example.

The temperature sensor 213 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/orcode that may enable sensing of the ambient temperature of theenvironment inside and outside the car. In another embodiment of theinvention, the temperature sensor 213 may be capable of sensing thetemperature of the user of the WMCD 103 in conjunction with thetemperature inside and/or outside the car 201. The temperature sensor213 may be coupled to the temperature control system 209 for control ofthe temperature within the car 201.

The humidity sensor 213 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/orcode that may enable sensing of the ambient humidity of the air withinthe car 201. The humidity sensor 213 may be coupled to the temperaturecontrol system 209 for control of the humidity of the air within the car201.

The seat control 215 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic and/or codethat may enable control of a seat position within the car 201 as peruser preference. The seat control 215 may comprise wireless protocolcapability for communicating with wireless devices such as the WMCD 103,for example, or may be coupled to a wireless device, such as a centralwireless router in the car 201.

In another embodiment of the invention, each of the devices, the GPS/NAV205, the audio system 207 and the seat control 215, may be coupled to acentralized communication device that may be capable of communicatingwith wireless devices, such as the WMCD 103, as opposed to each devicewirelessly communicating with the WMCD 103.

The cellular tower 117, the Internet 119 and the Home Network 121 maycomprise network resources available to the WMCD 103 to enablecommunication with external networked resources. User preferences may bestored in external resources, such as a storage device 123 within thehome network 121. The cellular tower 117 and the Internet 119 mayprovide access for the WMCD 103 to these resources. In anotherembodiment of the invention, the WMCD 103 may communicate with the homenetwork 121 via the Internet 119 utilizing a WLAN or WiMax network.

In operation, the WMCD 103 may be located within the car 201 carried bya user. The WMCD 103 may auto-discover the available resources anddetermine whether it has access privileges to communicate with and/orcontrol the available resources. The preferences of the user, such asfavorite radio stations, temperature and humidity level within the car201 and seat position, for example, may be stored within the WMCD 103 ormay be stored remotely, such as in the home network 121, for example.The preferences may be communicated to the respective resource, such asthe audio system 207, the temperature control system 209 and/or the seatcontrol 215. The activation of the controls, as configured by the userpreferences, may be automatically enabled, or may require an activationby the user, or by approval from another user that may control the localresources. The conditions adjusted by the WMCD 103 may revert to theirprior state once the WMCD 103 has moved a predefined distance away, forexample.

In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a user may haveselected a desired location, such as a restaurant, for example, totravel to utilizing the car 201. Upon entry to the car 201, the WMCD 103may establish communication with and enter the desired location into theGPS/NAV 205, which may then plot the appropriate course on a display.The WMCD 103 may also communicate with and/or control the otherresources within the car 201, such as the audio system 207, temperaturecontrol 209 and/or the seat control 215, according to the preferences ofthe user. In instances where there may be multiple WMCDs within the car201, a compromise setting may be determined for each resource, such asan average temperature according to the ranges given by the preferencesof each user, for example.

The WMCD 103 may be enabled to establish permission rights, and/orprovide authentication or security parameters to a local resource,depending on the requirements of the resources, to allow the WMCD 103 tocontrol local resources.

The WMCD 103 may also enable the communication of multimedia data toresources within the car 201. For example, the WMCD 103 may communicatewith a storage device within the home network 121 via the cellular tower117 and the Internet 119, and download music to the audio system 207 forplayback in the car 201. In another embodiment of the invention, theWMCD 103 may filter the preferences according to the location of thelocal resources. For example, if the WMCD 103 is in a location where afavorite station is not available, the WMCD 103 may filter this itemfrom the preferences in this instance.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of another exemplary resource utilization viaa wireless mobile communication device, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a kiosk 301, theWMCD 103, a wireless access point 305, the cellular tower 117, theInternet 119 and the home network 121. The cellular tower 117, theInternet 119 and the home network 121 may be the same as described withrespect to FIG. 2, and may enable communication of the WMCD 103 withresources within the home network 121.

The kiosk 301 may comprise a user terminal that may enable a user toperform registration activities, such as checking in to a hotel. Thekiosk 301 may comprise wireless communication capability such that theWMCD 103 may establish communication with the kiosk 301 and downloaduser preferences to the kiosk 301. The user preferences may be storedlocally within the WMCD 103 or externally, such as in the home network121, for example. In another embodiment of the invention, the userpreferences may be stored by an external entity, such a travel agency,for example, depending on the application in which the WMCD 103 may beutilized.

The wireless access point 305 may comprise suitable circuitry, logicand/or code that may enable access to external networks via the Internet119. The wireless access point 305 may comprise multiple wirelessprotocol capabilities, and may enable communication between the WMCD 103and the home network 121 via the Internet 119.

In operation, the WMCD 103 may auto-discover the available resources anddetermine whether it has access privileges to communicate with and/orcontrol the available resources. Auto discovery may comprise theautomatic detection of resources, as opposed to resources establishingcontact with the WMCD 103, and may be accomplished by polling, forexample, for available networks on a periodic or continual basis. Inanother embodiment of the invention, resources may “advertise”, orbroadcast their presence and/or capabilities to establish contact withthe WMCD 103.

The WMCD 103 may be utilized to establish communication with aninformation kiosk, such as a check-in kiosk at a hotel for example. Inan exemplary embodiment of the invention, a user may have a reservationat a hotel and may desire to check-in quickly utilizing a kiosk in thehotel lobby. The WMCD 103 may establish a wireless link with the kiosk301 and upload user preferences to the kiosk 301. The preferences may bestored locally on the WMCD 103 or may be stored remotely, such as in astorage device within the home network 121. In this instance, the WMCD103 may retrieve the user preferences via the wireless access point 305and the Internet 119. In instances where a wireless access point is notavailable, the WMCD may retrieve remotely stored user preferences via acellular connection to the cellular tower 117. The stored preferencesmay comprise language displayed by the kiosk 301, room preferences andwake-up calls, for example. The user preferences may be dynamicallyadjusted based on selections by the user.

The WMCD 103 may obtain information from the kiosk 301, such as localrestaurants or attractions, for example, which may be pertinent to theuser's preferences for types of restaurants or entertainmentattractions. The WMCD 103 may complete the check-in procedure anddisplay options for other actions the user may select. Subsequentselections may result in modification to the currently storedpreferences.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary multi-userenvironment with configurable resources, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a room401 comprising WMCDs 103A, 103B, 103C and 103D, a lighting controlsystem 405, a temperature control system 407, an audio system 409 and apayment system 411. The room 401 may comprise a location where multipleWMCD users may be present, such as in a restaurant, or even a home, forexample. The lighting control system 405, the temperature control system407 and the audio system 409 may comprise systems that may be enabled tocontrol the environment of the room 401, and may be capable of wirelesscommunication with the WMCDs 103A, 103B, 103C and 103D. The paymentsystem 411 may store data on ordered goods and services and may enableautomatic payment by a WMCD user.

In operation, multiple users with WMCDs may be present in the room 401,each with distinct established preferences and each WMCD 103A, 103B,103C and 103D may auto-discover the available resources and determinewhether it has access privileges to communicate with and/or control theavailable resources. In instances where preferences may be numerical,such as with temperature ranges or lighting levels, the resources may beset to an average of all the ranges given by the multiple preferences.In instances where the preferences may not be numerical, such as withmusical preferences, the audio system 409 may playback music of allpreferences over time.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the WMCDs 103A, 103B, 103Cand 103D may be utilized to verify the accuracy of an order placed in arestaurant by establishing wireless communication with the paymentsystem 411. In addition, the WMCDs 103A, 103B, 103C and 103D may beutilized to indicate that a user may require assistance from an employeeof the restaurant. The WMCDs 103A, 1038, 103C and 103D may then be usedto review the bill and a user may authorize payment based on preferredpayment method, which may be stored locally and/or remotely. Preferencesmay be uploaded to a service provider, such as a restaurant in thisexample, for future use by the user.

In another embodiment of the invention, a user may enter a room, such asthe room 401, with a plurality of local resources that may beconfigured. For example, a user's favorite TV stations may be programmedinto a multimedia system, the frequency response of the audio system 409may be adjusted, and color and brightness of a TV may be adjusted. Thelocal resources are not limited to those shown in the figures. The WMCDs103A-D may communicate with any local resource capable of communicatingwirelessly, or wired to a wireless access point, for example, that mayhave user adjustable parameters.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an exemplary environment configurationprocess, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring toFIG. 5, in step 503, after start step 501, a WMCD may auto-discoverresources, or be contacted by local resources. In step 505, if noresources are available, the exemplary steps may repeat step 503, tocontinue to auto-discover resources. If resources are available, theexemplary steps may proceed to step 507 where wireless communication maybe established between the WMCD and the discovered resource orresources. In step 509, the WMCD may retrieve preferences the user mayhave established for the discovered resource or resources. Thepreferences may be stored locally to the WMCD, or may be retrieved froma remote storage location, such as from a home network. In step 511, theretrieved preferences may be utilized by the WMCD to configure and/orcontrol the resource or resources, followed by end step 513.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method and a system are disclosedfor environment configuration by a device based on auto discovery oflocal resources and generating preference information for thoseresources and may comprise discovering available networked resources205, 207, 209 and/or 215 utilizing a wireless mobile communicationdevice (WMCD) 103. Wireless communication may be established with one ormore of the available networked resources 205, 207, 209 and/or 215utilizing the WMCD 103, which may then configure the available resources205, 207, 209 and/or 215 according to user preferences. The userpreferences may be stored internal or external to the WMCD 103, and maybe modified based on subsequent changes to the configuring of theresources 205, 207, 209 and/or 215. The WMCD 103 may communicate withthe resources 205, 207, 209 and/or 215 utilizing one or more of aplurality of wireless protocols, which may comprise cellular, WLAN,near-field communication, Bluetooth, and radio frequency identification.The WMCD 103 may auto-discover as well as determine and authenticateaccess privileges to the networked resources 205, 207, 209 and/or 215,which may comprise devices for adjusting a user's local environment.

Certain embodiments of the invention may comprise a machine-readablestorage having stored thereon, a computer program having at least onecode section for configuration of a device based on auto-discovery oflocal resources and extracting preference information from theseresources either directly or translated, the at least one code sectionbeing executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform one ormore of the steps described herein.

Accordingly, aspects of the invention may be realized in hardware,software, firmware or a combination thereof. The invention may berealized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system or ina distributed fashion where different elements are spread across severalinterconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or otherapparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein issuited. A typical combination of hardware, software and firmware may bea general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, whenbeing loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that itcarries out the methods described herein.

One embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as a boardlevel product, as a single chip, application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), or with varying levels integrated on a single chip with otherportions of the system as separate components. The degree of integrationof the system will primarily be determined by speed and costconsiderations. Because of the sophisticated nature of modernprocessors, it is possible to utilize a commercially availableprocessor, which may be implemented external to an ASIC implementationof the present system. Alternatively, if the processor is available asan ASIC core or logic block, then the commercially available processormay be implemented as part of an ASIC device with various functionsimplemented as firmware.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext may mean, for example, any expression, in any language, code ornotation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having aninformation processing capability to perform a particular functioneither directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversionto another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a differentmaterial form. However, other meanings of computer program within theunderstanding of those skilled in the art are also contemplated by thepresent invention.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiments disclosed, but that the present inventionwill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1-30. (canceled)
 31. A method for controlling a device, the methodcomprising: discovering available devices utilizing a wireless mobilecommunication device; establishing wireless communication with one ormore of said available devices; and configuring said one or more of saidavailable devices according to preferences associated with a user ofsaid wireless mobile communication device, wherein said configuring isbased on either said preferences associated with said user or aplurality of different preferences from a plurality of differentwireless mobile communication devices associated with said discoveredavailable devices.
 32. The method according to claim 1, comprisingstoring said user preferences internal to said wireless mobilecommunication device.
 33. The method according to claim 1, comprisingstoring said user preferences external to said wireless mobilecommunication device.
 34. The method according to claim 1, comprisingmodifying said user preferences based on subsequent changes to saidconfiguring of said one or more of said available devices.
 35. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein said wireless mobile communicationdevice communicates with said one or more of said available devicesutilizing one or more of a plurality of wireless protocols.
 36. Themethod according to claim 5, wherein said wireless protocols comprisecellular, WLAN, near-field communication, Bluetooth, and radio frequencyidentification.
 37. The method according to claim 1, comprisingauto-discovering said available devices.
 38. The method according toclaim 1, wherein said available devices comprise devices that enableadjustment of a local environment of said user.
 39. The method accordingto claim 1, comprising determining whether said user possesses accessprivileges for said one or more devices.
 40. The method according toclaim 1, comprising authenticating said user of said wireless mobilecommunication device.
 41. A system for controlling a device, the systemcomprising: one or more processors in a wireless mobile communicationdevice that enables discovery of available devices; said one or moreprocessors enables establishment of wireless communication with one ormore of said devices; and said one or more processors enablesconfiguration of said one or more of said available devices according topreferences associated with a user of said wireless mobile communicationdevice, wherein said configuration is based on either said preferencesassociated with said user or a plurality of different preferences from aplurality of different wireless mobile communication devices associatedwith said discovered available devices.
 42. The system according toclaim 41, wherein said one or more processors enable storage of saiduser preferences internal to said wireless mobile communication device.43. The system according to claim 41, wherein said one or moreprocessors enable storage of said user preferences external to saidwireless mobile communication device.
 44. The system according to claim41, wherein said one or more processors enable dynamic adjustment ofsaid user preferences based on subsequent changes to said configuring ofsaid one or more of said available devices.
 45. The system according toclaim 41, wherein said wireless mobile communication device communicateswith said one or more of said available devices utilizing one or more ofa plurality of wireless protocols.
 46. The system according to claim 45,wherein said wireless protocols comprise cellular, WLAN, near-fieldcommunication, Bluetooth, and radio frequency identification.
 47. Thesystem according to claim 41, wherein said one or more processors enableauto-discovery of said available devices.
 48. The system according toclaim 41, wherein said available devices comprise devices for adjustinga user's local environment.
 49. The system according to claim 41,wherein said one or more processors enable determining whether said userpossesses access privileges for said one or more available devices. 50.The system according to claim 41, wherein said one or more processorsenable authentication of said user of said wireless mobile communicationdevice.
 51. A machine-readable storage having stored thereon, a computerprogram having at least one code section for device control, the atleast one code section being executable by a machine for causing themachine to perform steps comprising: discovering available devicesutilizing a wireless mobile communication device; establishing wirelesscommunication with one or more of said available devices; andconfiguring said one or more of said available devices according topreferences associated with a user of said wireless mobile communicationdevice, wherein said configuring is based on either said preferencesassociated with said user or a plurality of different preferences from aplurality of different wireless mobile communication devices associatedwith said discovered available devices.
 52. The machine readable storageaccording to claim 51, wherein said at least one code section comprisescode for storing said user preferences internal to said wireless mobilecommunication device.
 53. The machine readable storage according toclaim 51, wherein said at least one code section comprises code forstoring said user preferences external to said wireless mobilecommunication device.
 54. The machine readable storage according toclaim 51, wherein said at least one code section comprises code formodifying said user preferences based on subsequent changes to saidconfiguring of said available devices.
 55. The machine readable storageaccording to claim 51, wherein said at least one code section comprisescode for enabling communicating with said one or more of said availabledevices via said wireless mobile communication device utilizing one ormore of a plurality of wireless protocols.
 56. The machine readablestorage according to claim 55, wherein said wireless protocols comprisecellular, WLAN, near-field communication, Bluetooth, and radio frequencyidentification.
 57. The machine readable storage according to claim 51,wherein said at least one code section comprises code forauto-discovering said available devices.
 58. The machine readablestorage according to claim 51, wherein said available devices comprisedevices for adjusting a local environment of said user.
 59. The machinereadable storage according to claim 51, wherein said at least one codesection comprises code for determining whether said use possess accessprivileges for said one or more available devices.
 60. The machinereadable storage according to claim 51, wherein said at least one codesection comprises code for authenticating said user of said wirelessmobile communication device.